--- title: "Sign a PDF yourself" description: "Add your own signature, initials and date to a PDF: type, draw, upload or use your phone, place it on the line and download the signed file." url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/sign-pdf-yourself/ collection: "eSignatures" section: "Signing yourself" updated: 2026-10-18 publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)" --- # Sign a PDF yourself > Open the PDF, choose **Sign** → **Add signature**, create your signature (type, draw or upload) and select **Save and sign**, then click where it goes. Download with **Done** → **Download**. This adds a visual signature; to collect other people's signatures with evidence, request signatures instead. - Counts toward: Edited-document downloads Do it in PDFBetter: https://pdfbetter.com/app/documents/ 1. **Open the PDF**: Upload it from the dashboard or the [Sign PDF](https://pdfbetter.com/tools/sign-pdf/) tool. You can do everything up to the download without an account. 2. **Open the Sign menu**: In **Edit & fill** mode, choose **Sign** in the toolbar (or press `S`), then **Add signature**. **Add initials** works the same way. 3. **Create your signature**: In **Create your signature**, type your name and pick a handwriting style and **Black** or **Blue** ink. Under **Other ways to add it** you can **Draw** with a mouse, pen or finger, **Upload an image** (PNG or JPG; the white background is removed), **Capture with webcam**, or **Add via QR code** to draw it on your phone. 4. **Save it for next time**: With an account, tick **Save for next time**. Next time it's under **Sign** → **Saved signatures**. 5. **Place it**: Select **Save and sign**, then click where your signature should go. Drag the handles to size it to the line. 6. **Add the date**: Use the **Date** tool to stamp the date next to the line. 7. **Download**: Choose **Done** → **Download**. Pick **Flatten** if you want the signature drawn into the page so no reader treats it as a movable object. ## What this kind of signature is Signing with the Sign tool adds a visual electronic signature to the page, like signing a printout. The downloaded file doesn't include an audit trail, a certificate of completion or a digital seal. When you need evidence of who signed and when, add yourself as a recipient in a [signature request](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/request-signatures/): every signer then signs with their own device key and the finished PDF is sealed and time-stamped. > **Digital ID fields:** Some PDFs have a "click to sign" field that expects a certificate-based digital ID. The editor marks it as a **Digital ID field**. You can place your signature over it, but the field itself stays unsigned. Downloading needs a free account and counts as one [edited-document download](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/download-edited-pdf/) (3 a month on Free, unlimited on Pro and Business). | Per month | No account | Free | Pro | Business | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Edited-document downloads | — | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited | "Unlimited" is subject to fair use; "—" means not included. ### Is a typed signature as good as a drawn one? Laws such as the US ESIGN Act focus on intent to sign rather than how the mark looks. Some organizations still ask for a drawn signature, so follow their instructions. See [e-signature legality](https://pdfbetter.com/esignature-legality/) for country rules. ### My uploaded signature has a gray box around it. The photo's background isn't white. Sign on plain white paper in good light, crop close to the ink and try again; **Remove white background** is on by default. ### The PDF was already digitally signed by someone else. Can I add mine? You can, but changing the file makes PDF readers flag their signature as altered. Sign before they do, or use one signature request for everyone. ## Related articles - [Request signatures from other people](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/request-signatures.md): Open the document and switch to Invite to sign. Add each recipient's name, email and role, choose In order or All at once, place each person's fields, then choose Send, check the title, message, reminders and expiry, and select Send. - [Are PDFBetter e-signatures legally valid?](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/esignature-legality-and-evidence.md): Electronic signatures are generally accepted for most business documents in many countries, but some documents need more. Signature requests give every signer their own device key and a sealed, time-stamped PDF with the evidence built in. Whether that's enough depends on the law that applies to your document. - [What signers see, and how to sign or decline](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/what-signers-see.md): Signers open Review and sign in the email, agree to use electronic records, fill the fields in their color and select Finish (approvers select Approve). No account or app is needed. They can also choose Decline or I'd rather use paper, which closes the request. - [Quick start: fill and sign your first PDF in 5 minutes](https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/quick-start-fill-and-sign-pdf.md): Open the PDF, click each field and type (Tab moves to the next), click Sign → Add signature, place it, then Done → Download. Without an account you can do everything except the download, which asks you to create a free account first. - [Download your edited PDF, fillable or flattened](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/download-edited-pdf.md): Click Done → Download, choose Keep fillable or Flatten, decide whether to Include comments and sticky notes, and click Download. Downloading needs a free account; Free includes 3 edited-document downloads a month, and Pro is unlimited. - [Draw your signature on your phone with a QR code](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/sign-with-phone-qr-code.md): In the signature dialog, choose Add via QR code and scan the code with your phone's camera. Draw with your finger, tap Use this signature, and it appears on your computer; check it and click Save and sign. The link works once, for 10 minutes. - [Save, reuse and delete your signatures and initials](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/manage-saved-signatures.md): Tick Save for next time when you create a signature, or add one in Settings → Profile & signatures → Saved signatures. Reuse it from Sign → Saved signatures in the editor. Saved signatures need a free account. --- Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/sign-pdf-yourself/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com